$12,000, 340 Mile Zinc-Air Battery Could Hit Markets Next Year

Battery packs remain a big problem for electric vehicles as their limited range, heavyweight, and high cost really limit access to EV’s. But companies and universities the world over are working on creative solutions, among them Eos Energy. Eos, which has secured a lot of financing in the past few months, believes it can bring a $160 kWh battery to market as soon as next year.

Low-Priced Batteries Right Around The Corner?

Eos Energy, who has graced these pages before as purveyors of a refillable “liquid” battery, is not planning to apply their zinc-air batteries to electric cars right off the bat. Rather, the batteries, which rely on much-cheaper zinc, will first be applied to grid storage (such as solar panel systems). However, Eos Energy may eventually migrate the technology over to the automotive market.

So far the zinc-air batteries have managed to survive 2,000+ recharge cycles without degradation, and they could even be refilled in the same way we refill gas tanks today. That would cut down on “charging” time, and the cheap nature of the batteries could mean a 70 kWh battery could cost just over $11,000.

That sounds like a lot, but considering the $30,000+ premium Tesla Motors charges to make the jump from 40 kWh to 85 kWh, it suddenly seems more like a bargain. A battery pack of that size could, depending on the size of the car, deliver 250 to 300 miles of range per-charge. All of this, perhaps as soon as 2013? Sounds like we’ll know soon enough if this project really does have any merit.

Source: Gas 2.0

Next-Gen Batteries Could Be Filled Like Gas Tanks

There are a lot of gripes against electric cars, though two of the most legitimate arguments are the long-recharge time and short range. But what if you could fill up your EV in the same time and manner in which you fill up your gas-powered car? That would be a huge development, one that Eos Energy Storage is working to bring to market.

Eos Energy is promoting a refillable flow battery that uses air as a cathode, zinc as an anode, and a liquid electrolyte. Once the zinc in the electrolyte is all used up, a fresh solution could be swapped in with new zinc anodes, allowing for a quick and painless refill. Theoretically, Eos says their system could be fitted to a standard passenger car costing around $25,000, allowing for a 400-mile range and “recharging” in as little as 3 minutes.

It sounds too good to be true, but Eos isn’t alone in pursuing a refillable liquid battery. However, such a battery is still years away from hitting the market, and while there have been many promising developments in battery technology, nobody has been able to market that “holy grail” EV battery to date. I have faith that it will happen, whether it be a liquid battery like Eos is proposing, or something more traditional, like the lithium-ion cells employed in today’s EV’s.

It’s just a matter of time. Thing is…how long can we afford to wait?

Source: Gas2.0